Please, can you help me?
by LoopyLou XD
Summary: "Please, can you help me? I'm so scared." Jim Moriarty might have convinced you that he's a no strings attached consulting criminal, but there's an extension of him that he is proud to call a daughter. Jim and Sebastian are the only family Elise has, she'd do anything for them, she loves them and they love her too, right? Rest of the summary inside :) M to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

**"Please, can you help me? I'm so scared." Jim Moriarty might have convinced you that he's a no strings attached consulting criminal, but there's an extension of him that he is proud to call a daughter. Jim and Sebastian are the only family Elise has, she'd do anything for them, she loves them and they love her too... right? When Jim decides to play yet another game with Sherlock Holmes and his new family, Elise is content to help, excited even- she'd do anything for her dad, no matter what... right?  
**

**Hi, so I started this a few months ago but I'm still about half way through :) Anyway, I may or may not have mentioned how obsessed I am with the idea of Jim and Seb having a kid- specifically a daughter -and I could not get this idea out of my head that she was kidnapped first.  
So yeah, I hope you like it, let me know what you think :)**

* * *

**1**

**Phone call: [recorded June 7 6:41pm]**

_Hello? Is anyone there? Please, can you help me? I'm so scared._

_Why are you scared, dear?_

_He's coming to get me. He killed my mother and now he wants to get me too._

_Who's coming to get you?_

_A man named Sebastian Moran. He came to our house and told my mum that my father wanted to see me but she always told me that my father was dead- I never even knew him. When my mother wouldn't let him take me away, he shot her and tried to grab me but I ran away. I'm so scared; I don't know why this is happening._

_Moran… What's your name, sweetheart?_

_My name is Elise. Please, my mother told me that if I was ever in trouble, I had to speak to a man named Sherlock Holmes. Do you know him? This is supposed to be his number…_

_Of course I know him, dear. Sherlock and I are great friends- this is his old phone. In fact, I knew your mother too._

_Really?_

_Oh yes, dear Irene Adler, what a wonderful woman, she talked about you all the time. I can't believe she's dead- I'm so sorry…_

_Can you help me find Mr Holmes? I'm hiding now, but I'm afraid that man will find me._

_There's nothing to be afraid of, my dear. Where are you hiding? I'll come and pick you up and then we can pay a visit to Sherlock._

_Oh, thank you, sir. I'm in a burnt out cottage, near Whitehall Park._

_It's no trouble at all, my dear. I happen to be right around the corner from there._

**_Line disconnected._**

**[End of phone call June 7 6:58]**

Elise smiled slightly as she walked out of the ruins of the old cottage and a black car pulled out in front. She started nervously towards it, and then a man stepped out. She recognised him straight away; Sebastian Moran. She turned to run but was too slow and Sebastian easily grabbed her.

"No! Let me go!" Elise screamed, desperately struggling to get out of his firm grip. "Why are you doing this to me?"

"Oh, shut it." Sebastian snapped, pushing her into the car and slamming the door behind her.

As the door shut behind her, Elise started to cry. Then she felt arms cradle around her as someone brought her in for a hug. She heard a soft voice; the voice from the phone.

"Shh, it's okay, you're okay now," the voice said. She twisted round to look at the man who had been on the phone. He was pale, with dark brown hair, and he wore a dark blue, expensive looking suit. His expression was soft, as was his voice, but his brown eyes were cold and amused.

"Who are you?" Elise sobbed.

"Jim Moriarty," he said softly. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

Still crying, she tried to push away from him but he held her still. "What do you want from me?" she managed to ask.

"Oh, my dear," he began, "I want to get to know my darling daughter of course!"

"W-what?" she stammered.

"Yes, now you're getting it, aren't you Elise? Your bitch of a mother hid you from me all these years, and now, finally, I have you back. If she had of just let Sebastian take you without a fuss, I might've let her live, too. But she still tried to keep you away from me, and that's why she had to go." He looked down at her, his face seemingly sad. "I'm sorry, Elise, but it's her own fault."

"No, get off me!" As she finally managed to push him away from her, she moved back to the other car door, the one which she had been pushed though, only to find it locked. "Let me out!" She screamed, banging on the door. "Let me out!"

Jim laughed at her pathetic attempt of escape and said, "Oh, Elise, I just got you back- I'm not going to let you go again. Now, come here." Elise shook her head, pushing herself against the door. Moriarty leant back in his seat, pouting. "I don't want to hurt you, Elise. But I will if I have to, make no mistake. So, _come_ here."

Slowly, Elise moved over to him, and he pulled her down into a hug, her head resting on his chest- like a normal father would hug his daughter. Tears ran down her cheeks as he ran a hand through her hair.

"Shh," he murmured, "everything's going to be okay- we'll be a family; you, me and Seb. Everything's going to be fine."

"I want to go home…" she whispered.

"You are going home, Elise. You're going to your new home- you're going to your proper home."

"I don't want to. I want to go to my old home, with my mum."

"Your mother's dead, get used to it," Jim hissed. "We're your family now. You'll grow to like it, I promise." At the mention of her mother, Elise began to cry again.

"Oh, Elise, you'll learn to get over it soon enough, I'll make sure of it. Now, just stay still for a minute, okay?" He whispered as he took out a small needle from his pocket and injected it into her arm.

Elise gasped at the sharp pain in her arm as he stuck her with the needle - already beginning to feel tired. She tried to sit up, but it was a weak attempt and he just held her closer.

"Shh," he hushed as her eyelids dropped closed. He called, "Sebbie, dear! You can come in now."

As the sniper got into the car and sat next to Jim, he nodded to her, still lying on Jim's chest. "She alright?" He asked.

"She will be, eventually." Jim replied, brushing a tear of her cheek. "She looks so peaceful when she's been drugged, don't you think, Seb?" He asked, a small laugh in his voice.

Seb gave a short bark of laughter. "She wasn't so peaceful when I came to the house- put up a pretty good fight. She's definitely your daughter."

"_Our_ daughter, Seb," Jim corrected. "She's _our_ daughter now. Imagine the things we'll teach her," he said excitedly. "She could bring down the world with us."

Seb looked at Elise with a smile. "She's quite a mix, isn't she?"

"Hmm?"

"Well, she's lived with Adler for nine years of her life, and now she'll grow up with us." He answered and Jim gave another crazed laugh. "The world better watch out for her."

"No, Sebbie," Jim said, shaking his head, "the world should look out for _us_."

He gave Sebastian another wicked grin and pushed a button on the roof, signalling for the driver to go. As the car pulled away from the curb, Jim pulled a phone out of his pocket and threw it to Seb.

"I told you taking his phone was a good idea," Jim scolded playfully. "Adler was a friend of his, it was too obvious that she'd go to him if she was in trouble, and the same applies to her daughter. But we should probably give it back to him- don't want our dear Sherlock missing out on any cases now, do we?"

Sebastian grinned at him and pocketed the phone. "I'll get it to him."

"Good, make sure he doesn't know we've taken it, though."

"I will."

Jim looked up at his sniper, and a coy smile twisted his lips. "What would I do without you, Tiger?"

Sebastian smirked at him. "You'd have to hire another gunman…"

"That's not what I was talking about," Jim said, leaning closer to him.

"I know," Sebastian said, as their lips met.

* * *

**So, what'd you think? If you've read any of my work before, you know I gladly welcome reviews- even really mean and harsh ones -as long as you tell me _why _you didn't like it, or what you thought I can fix. Happy reviews are always good too, though, I might add XD  
P.S. Do you guys get the joke on the front cover of this fic now? :D**


	2. Chapter 2

**I may or may not edit this chapter later on... I can't be bothered re-reading it at the moment to check for mistakes and just plain stupidness, so I'm going to trust past-LoopyLou and the countless proof-reading she's done before... that might be a huge mistake that could mean my down but, so be it :)**

* * *

**2**

Elise woke up in a huge, four poster bed, her vision blurry, her head pounding. She sat up, twisting around, panicked, as she took in her surroundings. The room was dark, but she could tell it was a bedroom and not some creepy basement.

Her mind struggled to remember what had happened, but when she did, when it finally came rushing back to her, she started to shake with sobs.

She lay back down on the soft pillows and curled into a ball, crying herself to sleep.

* * *

Jim watched on a monitor as his daughter fell back onto the bed, her shoulders shaking from her sobs. He sat, observing, thinking, until Sebastian pulled him from his thoughts.

"What are we going to do about her?" he asked, seating himself beside Jim. "She's not going to get over her mother anytime soon."

"Not necessarily, Seb." Jim replied. Sebastian gave a short laugh.

"What're you planning?" he asked.

"Many things," Jim said with a smirk.

"Okay, what are you planning to do about Elise?"

"We need to gain her trust. Right now, she's holding onto thoughts of her mother because that's the only thing that's familiar to her, the only thing she can trust, despite how painful all the memories are. If she begins to trust us, she'll let go of her mother, and cling to the new things that she finds comfort in."

"Right… one small problem," Seb began, "why would she trust us? We're responsible for her mother's death."

"_I_ wasn't the one who shot her, Seb." Jim said, raising his eyebrows. "You did that."

"It doesn't matter who actually shot the bitch," Seb waved Jim's comments away. "She sees both of us as the enemy right now."

"Well yes, thank you, Seb. I'm aware of that." Jim said dryly. "That's why we're going to prove that we're not the enemy- we're going to prove that we just want to look after her, that we love her."

Sebastian knew from personal experience that Jim's idea of love wasn't the same as everybody else's- it was a tad more… _sadistic _and… _violent_ -but he didn't voice it. "So how are you planning on achieving that?"

"Oh, Sebbie, with a little bit of crime, of course!"

* * *

Elise's head hurt from crying, and her eyes stung. She remembered what had happened, but she didn't break down again- it seemed she cried herself out, for now.

She sat up and made her way to the door, checking the door handle; it was unlocked. _How strange, she thought_. Perhaps she wasn't a prisoner here… Cautiously, she opened the door, sticking her head out. The corridor was empty.

She stepped out, and turned left, her bare feet making no noise on the lush carpet as she crept along. She didn't really know where she was going, or what she was planning on doing; her mind felt numb and cold.

As she got to the end of the corner she took a right turn, leading up to a door. She opened this door and stepped into a kitchen. Two men sat at the kitchen table drinking what smelt like coffee; she recognised them both, straight away.

"Elise," Jim said brightly. "You're awake." Elise thought about running, but decided against it. Instead, she just nodded. "Why don't you sit down and join us?"

Elise realised she couldn't move. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out; she couldn't bring herself to say anything. Jim was watching her, she had to do something. _Come on Elise,_ she thought, _one foot in front of the other- move._ She took a step towards the table. _That's it, Elise, keep going._ She sat down on a chair facing the both of them, perched on the edge, her eyes darting back and forth between the two of them. _What's going to happen to me?_ She wondered.

"It's alright, Elise," Jim purred. "We don't want to hurt you."

"Then… what do you want?" She found herself saying quietly.

"Nothing," Jim said simply. "We just want to look after you. That's all."

"Why?"

"Because you're my daughter," he said. Elise didn't say anything; she just looked down at the table. "Are you hungry," he asked. "Would you like a drink?" She shook her head, still not looking at him. Jim sighed. "Elise, you don't have to be afraid."

"I-I'm not afraid," she lied, still not looking up at him.

"Good," he said, putting a hand under her chin and pulling her round to look at him. "There's no need to be. Now, have some coffee, it will wake you up."

She _was_ scared of both of them, no matter how much she tried to deny it. But, none the less, she still managed to take a sip of coffee, the warm liquid waking up her numb mind. Her hands shook as she held the cup and she tried to hide it from them.

Sebastian picked up a newspaper and scanned the front page with a chuckle.

"It _seems_ that a German dignitary was murdered last night," he said, handing the paper to Jim.

"Well, Sherlock will enjoy that, won't he?" Jim answered with a laugh. Elise looked up when she heard that name.

Her curiosity piqued, Elise managed to say quietly, "Sherlock Holmes… who is he?"

"You're mother really didn't tell you about him?" Jim asked, glad the girl was talking. Elise shook her head.

"Only that he saved her life once, and that he would help me if anything ever happened," she answered.

"Well, you've got us for that now." Jim said, smiling at her. "As for Sherlock, I don't think he'd be very kind to you."

"Why?"

"Because you're my daughter, and he doesn't like me very much- I don't really understand why."

"So, who is he?"

"He's a detective- a consulting detective. He helps out the police."

"Are you a criminal then?" Elise muttered, keeping her eyes down.

"What?" he asked curiously.

"A detective doesn't like you, you killed my mother, you took me away… it makes sense… doesn't it?" She tried to stop talking but the words kept pouring out of her mouth before she could stop them. She was sure she had made Jim angry and, for a second, she flinched away from him. Then she heard his laughter, and she saw Seb's lips twitch into a smile.

"Clever girl, Elise," Jim said, still laughing. "Well done. I'm a consulting criminal. Sebastian is my sniper. I'm the most dangerous man in London- but I promise, I don't want to hurt you, really I don't. And neither does Sebastian. We took you away for your own good. You'll be so much better off with us, I know you will."

"W-what happens now?" Elise said, her voice shaking.

"_Now_, I have some clients coming for a meeting, so Sebastian will show you back to your room. You'll have to stay there for a while, I'm afraid, but it's for your own protection. I don't want too many people knowing about you- you might get hurt."

Seb stood up from the table and walked off through a different door than the one she had come in. He stopped, looking back at her.

"Come on," he said softly, nodding to her.

"It's alright, Elise," Jim said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "He's not going to hurt you."

Slowly, she stood up and trailed after Sebastian as he strode down the long corridors; she had trouble keeping up with his long strides. He stopped outside a door and opened it, motioning for her to go through. At first, she thought he would lock the door as soon as she stepped through it. Instead, he followed her inside, flicking on the light and leaving the door open- probably so that she didn't feel intimidated.

Now that the light was on, she could truly appreciate the room's size. There was a book shelf that lined the back right corner, and a flat-screen TV on the front wall. There were two other doors standing side by side at the front of the room, probably leading off to a bathroom or a wardrobe. Sebastian grabbed a remote off a dresser that stood under the TV.

"Here," he said, handing it to her. "You can keep yourself occupied. There's some clothes in there," he motioned to the door on the right, "they should fit." He turned to leave but stopped half-way out the door. He turned back to her. "He really does care about you. It may not seem like it, and I guess it's not what most would call caring but… by his standards, he does care… And so do I," he said quickly before turning back to the door.

"Are you going to lock me in?" Elise asked, before he left.

"No, but you really shouldn't leave this room- for your own safety." And then he was gone.

Curiously, Elise tip toed to the door and turned the handle. Suddenly the door was pushed open and she stumbled back, staring at Sebastian, who apparently hadn't left yet. He smiled at her.

"What did I _just_ say?" He asked. She smiled slightly at him.

"I wasn't going to leave," she objected. "I just wanted to see if you were lying about locking the door or not."

He smiled again at her, "Elise, just, please don't even _open_ the door. I'm leaving it unlocked because I trust you, but I'm also telling you, don't open the door." He shut the door once again and this time Elise didn't touch the handle.

* * *

**ooohh! Is she going to start trusting them? Will Seb and Jim finally gain her love? Does Jim really care for her? Am I seriously going to start doing these stupid questions at the end of each chapter? No. I'm really not.  
LoopyLou- away!**


	3. Chapter 3

**3**

Elise felt a tad better now that she had showered and put on fresh clothes. She sat on the bed, mindlessly flicking though TV channels until she found a movie she had watched with her mum just last week. As pictures rolled past the screen, she felt a tear role down her cheek. Hastily, she wiped it away and turned the TV off, turning to the book shelf to keep her mind away from her mum.

She was confused. She didn't know what was going to happen now, and she was scared to find out. This man, Jim, he scared her but, at the same time, she wanted to trust him. She felt like he cared for her, and that's what she craved for the most right now- someone to care for her. _No_, she thought, _stop being stupid! He's the reason mum is dead- we can't trust him._ But those thoughts didn't stop her from wanting to trust him. She couldn't explain it; he scared her so much, why did she want to trust him?

* * *

When Seb walked into the dining room, Jim was sitting at the head of the table, across from two middle aged gentlemen in suits that might've been more expensive than Jim's ones- and that was saying something.

Sebastian walked up behind Jim whilst one of the other men were speaking and lent down beside his hear.

"Elise shouldn't be joining us," he whispered.

"Did you lock her door?" Jim asked equally quiet. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the two gentlemen at the other end of the table craning to try and hear what was being said. His glance flicked back to them and that sat back in their chairs abruptly.

"No," Seb said, with a small head shake. "I thought it might be a sign of good faith." He could see Jim was about to get angry, so he quickly added, "She won't leave the room; she's too afraid. Trust me, James." Reluctantly, Jim nodded and turned back to the other men. Seb stood behind him, his arms crossed, a frown on his face.

"Gentlemen," Jim said smoothly, "my apologies, but you know how business is- so many things happening at once. So, you want to enlist my services?"

* * *

Elise didn't know what the time was when Sebastian came in carrying a plate of peanut-butter sandwiches. He smiled at her and she returned the smile back, but it was only half-hearted; she couldn't get the image of Sebastian shooting her mum out of her head.

"You've only got a little while longer in here, Elise," he said. "We are sorry for this, but Jim has his meetings on today and he doesn't want anyone seeing you just yet- it might put you in danger."

"It's okay," she mumbled, "I get it." _Although, I wouldn't be in any danger at all if it weren't for you people_, she thought quietly. Sebastian smiled at her once more before leaving.

Two minutes later, Elise heard a knock at the door. Thinking Sebastian had forgotten something, on impulse, she went to open it. She had her hand on the doorknob when she remembered what Sebastian had said about opening the door. She froze when she saw the handle turning slowly, like someone didn't want her to notice. _This can't be Seb or Jim, why wouldn't they have walked in by now…_ Slowly, she backed away from the door.

Seconds later, it crashed open and a young man barged in. His eyes were filled with anger and they narrowed as the landed on Elise. Before she knew what was happening, he pulled a gun out of his jacket and grabbed her roughly. With one hand on her shoulder, he spun her around to face the door, crouching slightly behind her. That's when she felt the gun against her head and she froze completely.

The man leant over and whispered into her ear, "Unless you want me to blow your brains out, you do what I say, got it?"

Elise couldn't speak, so she just nodded weakly.

"Good." He pushed her out the door and led her down the corridor- he seemed to know exactly where they were heading. Two minutes later they emerged into what Elise guessed was the dining room. She saw Jim, seated at the table, and she longed to cry out to him. As they entered the room, Jim turned, a confused look on his face as he took in the scene before him.

"Caleb," he said softly, "What are you doing?" Slowly, Jim stood up out of his chair. Behind him, Elise could see two finely dressed business men, both looking utterly shocked and fearful.

"Don't fucking move!" the man, Caleb, screamed at Jim. He pressed the gun against Elise's head and she whimpered. "Shut the fuck up you stupid bitch!" he yelled at her. He looked at Jim. "You fucked up everything! If it wasn't for you, she'd still be alive!"

Jim cocked his head at the man, speaking casually. "She was stupid, she caused her own death. You were the ones that applied for my services- I can't help what happens _after_ my men carry out their mission."

"No, you're lying!" The man spat back. He grabbed a handful of Elise's hair and yanked it backwards, causing her to cry out. "She's dead because of you. And now, I'm going to do the same to this bitch."

Jim stood incredibly still, his face blank, but when he spoke, everyone could hear the slight... desperation in it.

"Let her go," he said. "She's got no business in this- leave her alone."

Elise looked at him, eyes wide. Was this man actually concerned for her? Could this man, this murderer, actually be trying to help her? His face was blank but she could hear the emotion in his voice, and she could see the slightest trace of it in his eyes. She didn't _think_ he was lying.

"No," The man said, cocking the gun. "You took my girl away from me, so I'm going to do the same to you."

BANG!

Elise's eyes screwed shut, and she let out a cry as the shot rang out. She prepared herself for pain or for blackness... but nothing came. Slowly, she opened her eyes.

Then man with the gun was on the floor beside her, face down on the ground, blood spilling out from his head. She turned to see Sebastian, gun still raised- he had saved her life. Elise began to shake, suddenly feeling cold and faint. She felt herself falling but before she could hit the ground, Sebastian was there, catching her.

She felt herself crying, felt Sebastian holding her. She heard Jim behind her, and felt his arms as they circled around her, hugging her. Despite herself, she found herself clinging to him, her face pressed into his shirt as she cried. She heard him talking to her, his soft, calming voice soothing her.

"It's okay, Elise. You're alright now." he said. "We'll never let anything happen to you. We'll never let anyone hurt you."

She heard herself mumble, "I know," and she buried herself deeper against him, feeling him stroking her hair.

Sebastian helped pull her to her feet; her legs felt weak and shaky but he kept hand around her, holding her up.

"Go with Sebastian," she heard Jim say. As soon as she was out of the room he turned back to the business men, smiling wolfishly. "Sorry gentlemen, but like I said before, business is so… busy."

* * *

Sebastian lay Elise on the bed and pulled the covers up. She was still crying and shaking, Sebastian knew the signs of shock well; he needed to calm her down. He sat beside her and brushed the hair out of her face.

"Elise?" he whispered. "Elise, listen to me. You need to take some deep breaths or you'll start hyperventilating. Calm down, you're alright. Nobody's going to hurt you; I won't let that happen, okay?" She nodded slowly and took a few breaths. "That's it sweetheart, breathe."

He heard Jim come up behind him and felt his hand on his shoulder. He turned to the smaller man who held a syringe out to him.

"Elise," he whispered, taking the needle from Jim. "I'm going to give you something to calm down, okay?" He lent down beside her but she shrugged away from him.

"No," she whispered. "Don't." Seb looked at Jim, silently asking for help; he didn't want to drug Elise if she didn't want him to- they'd lose all the trust they'd just earned. Jim crouched down beside the bed and cupped her face with his hands.

"Elise, look at me," he said quietly. Her blurred eyes flickered over to him. "We have to calm you down. It won't hurt a lot, and it'll help you go to sleep. Please Elise, just stay still." Slowly, she stopped moving and he nodded to Seb.

Seb lent over for a second time and Elise flinched as the needle jabbed her arm. Within seconds she began to breathe slower, and her eyes began to fall close. A minute later she was fast asleep.

Jim ran a hand through her hair and straightened up, grabbing Seb's hand and leading him out the room.

* * *

"So, Sebbie, what did you think of Caleb's wonderful performance?" Jim asked, later that night.

"I don't think he was expecting that last bit though." Seb grinned.

"Hmm, no, when I hired him to threaten Elise, I'm pretty sure I forgot to mention that getting shot would be part of his role." Jim murmured, with a cold laugh.

"Did it work though?" Seb asked. "Does she trust us now?"

"Oh, Sebbie, dear, she is one-hundred per cent _ours_."

* * *

**So, did anyone see that coming? I didn't! Well actually, no, I did- duh! Silly lou! :D  
****Tell me if anyone wants more- I've still got quite a few chapters before I get to my I'm-still-stuck-but-not-completely-stuck bit XD  
****Also, I just realised I'm writing these Author's notes in the assumption that people are actually reading my fic... I hope I'm not just making myself out to be a complete idiot XD**


	4. Chapter 4

**This chapter is slightly fluffy... I suppose... Elise sounds a bit weird here but, you have to remember, she grew up practically brainwashed by Seb and Jim. She does have a very dark, sadistic side- which I'll be sure to show later on XD**

* * *

**4**

_Seven years later_

Elise didn't think about her mum anymore, she found she couldn't remember too much of her. She didn't blame Jim or Seb either- her mum had been so selfish trying to keep her away from Jim. Why on earth had she wanted to keep Jim out of her life? The way Elise saw it, Jim and Seb had _saved _her; they had saved from a boring and ordinary life. She liked her life now; it was more fun. Jim still scared her sometimes, she couldn't deny it, but she knew that he loved her even if sometimes she got hurt because of it.

She had learnt so much since they had saved her. Seb had taught her how to fight. He showed her all different types of martial arts and how to use a gun. The first time she had fired a gun; the sound had scared her and made her shake, though she couldn't, for all the world, figure out why. She grew to like it though- the power that came with the weapon; knowing you could hold someone's life in your hands… it was intoxicating.

Jim had showed her how to observe and notice things others didn't. She could never be as good as her dad- no one ever could. He was too smart. He also taught her how to read people, their personalities, and manipulate them according to what would work best. Now, _that_ was something she found she excelled at, but still she knew she'd never match her dad's skills; she was constantly being amazed at his brilliance, at his pure genius.

Both her parents didn't talk too much about work when she was around. They were always afraid that she would get hurt if she was involved. She didn't get to leave the house that much, maybe once a month if she was lucky. Again, it was all for her _protection_, her dad explained. Although, one time Jim had had to go to a meeting in Dubai, and he had brought her along with him- that had been their first and, so far, only holiday.

Jim was the one who taught her school subjects, when he wasn't busy. He taught her maths problems and made her read English essays, and gave her a proper education- as he called it. In his opinion, she was smart and caught on quickly, meaning it didn't take her very long to learn what she had to. She found she had an interest in history, though Jim insisted that wouldn't be any help to her when she grew up.

One thing she did find more interesting than anything else, was Sherlock Holmes. Her dad had told her all about him, about how he had played games with Sherlock and his _pet_, Doctor John Watson. He had told her about something that he liked to call, the _Reichenbach Fall_- and how he had made the world believe that Sherlock was a fake and both he and Sherlock had faked their deaths. Her dad said that Sherlock and pretended to be dead for three years, before returning to his precious John, and that he didn't know that Jim was still alive.

When Jim had first told her about Sherlock, Seb had pulled her aside and made sure to tell her how Jim was a little… _obsessed _with the detective. He said that her dad found him interesting, a way to escape boredom. Elise knew what Jim was like when he got bored, so she was sure this Sherlock would have to be very, _very_, fascinating.

She researched him once and found his website; _The Science of Deduction_. It was a lot like what her dad had taught her. She found a bunch of news articles on him and his story; he was a fabulous detective, who was accused of being a fraud by a man named Richard Brooke, who said that Sherlock had invented his cases. Sherlock had supposedly jumped from the roof of a building in 'shame' but then reappeared three years later when his name was cleared…

She had smiled at her dad's brilliant idea of how to take Sherlock down; _Richard Brooke_… it was genius, really, the way he had set up Sherlock's fall… only Sherlock had cheated, and now he was still alive. She knew her dad wasn't happy about that, but he didn't talk about it much.

When her dad had found out about her researching, he'd gotten a little bit mad with her. Not so mad that he'd been shouting at her, but mad enough that he had to sit her down and have a talk with her. He'd said that Sherlock was none of her concern right now, that there'd be plenty of time for that later. She hadn't really understood what he meant, but she didn't want to upset him, so she hadn't brought up Sherlock since and the subject when untouched…

* * *

"Seb?" Elise called down the hallway. "Seb?" She smiled as she saw him poke his head out of his study- well, she liked to call it is armoury; it was only filled with weapons, after all.

"Yeah?" He asked.

"I have devised a brilliant plan," she said, following him back into his study where he was cleaning one of his sniper rifles. She sat on the workbench beside him.

"Oh?" he asked, raising an eyebrow as he went back to work. "You have?"

"Yes, one that no one will have ever considered before…"

"Okay and what is this brilliant plan?"

"I have reasoned that you and I as a unified force could…" she paused for a more dramatic effect before saying, "give the great Jim Moriarty hiccups."

Sebastian smiled at her and shook his head.

"We are not giving your father hiccups," he said sternly, though he was still grinning at the thought.

"Why not?" She asked incredulously. "Don't you think it would be hilarious for the brilliant, genius, _mastermind _Jim Moriarty to have the hiccups?"

"Look, don't get me wrong, it would be the funniest thing the world has ever seen," Seb agreed. "But that's the problem."

"What are you talking about?"

"We'd be trying, and failing, so hard at not laughing, that he would get so incredibly pissed off with us, that it wouldn't be worth it. He'd shoot me in the foot if I even tried to help you with this plan."

"No he wouldn't, don't be ridiculous!" Elise insisted, though she wasn't really so sure that was true.

"Do you even know how to give someone hiccups?" Seb asked and Elise hesitated.

"I… hadn't thought of that…" she admitted with a frown. "I don't have a clue…"

"Exactly, so get the silly idea out of you head- it wouldn't work."

"Not to mention, it's not very nice," a voice called out. Both of them froze, and Elise looked away sheepishly as Jim walked in, pouting. "Busted," he sing-songed, grinning at Elise; she smiled sheepishly. "And you," he tapped Sebastian on the shoulder playfully. "You were considering it."

"I would never do such a thing," Seb smiled at him. Jim looked back at Elise.

"I don't get hiccups, dear, there's no point in trying." He said.

"Oh really?" Elise asked, an eyebrow raised. "Or perhaps that's what you want us to think!" And with that, she ran out the room, laughing.

As soon as she was gone, Jim's smile dropped and he turned to Seb, his expression serious. "Sherlock's getting close again," he told him. "He's got people keeping an eye out for you- he thinks you're the one running things after my _death_."

"Do you think he'll get far?" Sebastian asked, his tone as serious as Jim's.

"He's been known to surprise us before," Jim said. "We can't be sure."

"What do we do?"

"We need to set up a new game for him," Jim said, a smirk twisting his lips. Seb put a hand on his shoulder.

"Jim, you have to be careful this time." He warned. He could see Jim was about to snap back some snide remark, so he went on quickly, "You have to think of Elise, now, remember? You can't let her get hurt."

"Sebbie, I was considering letting Elise join in on the fun!"

"Don't be stupid," Sebastian snapped. "You can't put her in that kind of harm."

"We can't hide her in here forever, Seb," Jim pointed out. "She needs new experiences. She's bored, she needs excitement. She was planning on giving me hiccups, for god's sake! She needs a distraction."

"And you're going to let Sherlock Holmes be that distraction?"

"No, I'm going to let Sherlock Holmes' son be that distraction."

"What?"

"I've told you about his son before, haven't I?" Jim asked.

"Yeah," Seb said slowly. He didn't like where Jim was taking this. "Hamish Watson-Holmes isn't it?"

"Exactly- the son of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson. Wouldn't it be fun to introduce Elise? She could befriend him, earn his trust, then we can swoop in and grab him. Imagine how panicked his parents will be when they realise that, not only am I alive, but that I have their precious son." Jim smiled gleefully. "It will be brilliant."

"And what about Elise?" Seb asked. "What if something goes wrong and Elise gets hurt? Do you even care?" Jim's expression grew dark.

"Of course I care," he snapped. "But Elise's a clever girl, I have faith in her. If anything goes wrong, I trust her to handle it."

"Why does she have to be involved?" Sebastian asked, wringing his hands through his hair. Jim put his hands on the other man's face.

"Seb, she needs to get out into the world. She could be brilliant, and right now we're holding her back. Trust me, Sebastian." He stared at him for a few moments until Seb let out a sigh.

"I just don't want to see her get hurt." He said.

"She won't. She'll be excited, I guarantee."

"That's what I'm worried about."

* * *

Excited was an understatement, Elise was thrilled. She couldn't believe that her parents were finally letting her help out with something and it was to do with _Sherlock Holmes_- or rather, his brat of a son. Dad had given her a file on him and she was confident she could handle him. John Watson shouldn't be a problem either; he was soft and caring, she could pull at his heart-strings so easily. Sherlock, however, was a different matter… he was cold and logical and smart… she had to be careful around him… if anyone could mess up this assignment, it would be him.

Her dad had explained that her mission was to infiltrate their home and gain their trust. She knew what her story would be, and like all cover stories, it had a grain of truth in it. She smiled as she looked over some notes she'd made; this was going to be fun.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello again :) So, this chapter is... well I still haven't made up my mind. The game is being laid by Jim and Elise and the poor little unsuspecting Holmes family is inching dangerously close... No, just kidding, that's a few chapters away XD  
****ANYWAY, what I was going to warn you about was the first page or so, where she has to explain to Sherlock what happened is a bit iffy- I mean, I don't think its my _best_writing, but I had a lot of trouble getting it down onto paper, I mean, she has to explain that her mum's been shot like three hours ago! How the hell do I write that? I'm not Shakespeare! (I wish!)  
But, in saying that, please enjoy this next chapter XD**

* * *

**5**

It was 2.30 in the morning when Elise rang the doorbell of apartment 221B, Baker St, her clothes torn and dishevelled, her eyes red-rimmed and bagged. She heard shouting from upstairs and had to supress a smile. Her dad had said that going early in the morning was a good idea; it meant they would be unprepared.

She heard the door being unlocked and seconds later it was wrenched open by none other than Sherlock Holmes himself.

"What do you want?" He snapped harshly, glaring at her. She put on her best terrified face but on the inside she was grinning madly.

"I-I'm sorry," she whimpered just loud enough for you to hear, "but, a-are you Mr Holmes?" She saw the angry glare soften a bit, replaced with curiosity.

"Yes, that's me…" he said slowly. "Who are you?"

"Oh thank god!" she exclaimed, half falling to the ground with exhaustion, holding on to the doorframe to keep herself up. "Mr Holmes, my name is Elise. I need your help."

"What's wrong?" He asked, putting his arms under her to help her up.

"A man named Sebastian Moran came to my house and killed my mother."

"Moran…? What was he doing at your house?"

"I don't know," she said desperately, tears starting to leak out of her eyes. "I don't know why he was there but he was arguing with my mum and they were shouting; they didn't know I was in the room. And then he took out a gun and shot her. I screamed and that's when he noticed me. I ran out the back door and I could hear shooting at me but I just kept running." Sherlock was silent for a moment and Elise shivered as noticeably as she could. Acting or not, it was cold out here and Sherlock needed to learn some manners.

"Come inside," he said finally, pulling her through the door. He must've noticed she was cold now, because he picked a coat off a rack beside the door and draped it around her shoulders. He led her upstairs and sat her in a chair while he darted off to the kitchen.

Elise pulled the coat tighter around her, glad that she was out of the cold. She heard Sherlock in the kitchen and guessed he was making tea. She heard a noise off to her left, which her eyes followed, landing on John as he entered the room, rubbing his eyes tiredly. When he saw her, he froze, confusion creeping across his face.

"Umm… hello," he said, his voice thick from sleep. Elise kept her eyes wide and didn't say anything; she had no clue what to say anyway. When John realised she wasn't going to respond he called, "Sherlock?"

"Hmm?" Came a voice from the kitchen.

"There's a young girl in our living room…" John said slowly. "Are you aware of that?"

"Oh yes," Sherlock strolled back into the dining room with two cups of tea, handing one to Elise and one to John. "John, meet Elise. Elise, this is my husband John. Elise has run into some… misfortune and has come to me for help."

Elise didn't exactly like tea but she took a sip anyway, trying very hard not to grimace. She made sure her hands shook a little bit, knowing that Sherlock would notice.

"It seems," Sherlock told John, "that Elise has just witnessed the murder of her mother; the murderer being a Mr Sebastian Moran." Elise saw John tense when he heard the name.

"Moran?" He repeated slowly. She watched him very closely, judging his reactions carefully. It was obvious he knew who they were talking about and she could see the anger in his eyes as he thought about Sebastian and no doubt Jim.

"Yes," Sherlock said. "But what I would like to know first, is why you came to me and not the police." Elise had been ready for this question, but she knew it couldn't seem rehearsed, so she hesitated just a slight bit.

"M-My mum once told me that if I was ever in trouble, I could go to Sherlock Holmes for help. She said you saved her life once, and that you would help me too."

"And who was your mother?" Sherlock asked, taking a seat and leaning forward.

"Her name was Irene," Elise said softly, "Irene Adler." Her eyes watered again and she wiped them hastily. Sherlock and John exchanged a quick glance.

"Irene…is dead?" Sherlock repeated slowly. Her dad had explained how well Sherlock hid his emotions, but even Elise could see the surprise in his eyes.

All Elise could do was nod, her eyes sad.

"I'm sorry for your loss," John said softly and Elise pushed some more tears out, for a little authenticity. John came forward and wrapped her into a hug and she began to shake. _God I'm good_, she kept thinking. One Holmes down, two to go.

* * *

After that, John refused to let Sherlock question her anymore and Elise spent the night in John's old room. She didn't sleep much, but that didn't bother her- she was used to it. Plus, the more exhausted she seemed, the easier it would be to have them feel sorry for her.

She got up the later that morning and rubbed her eyes, yawning and stretching, getting herself ready for day one of her mission. She shuffled nervously into the lounge room and, seeing Sherlock in his chair, quietly sat on the couch, looking at the ground.

"G-Good morning, Mr Holmes," she stuttered quietly.

"Sherlock, please," he corrected. "Did you sleep alright?"

Elise shrugged. "Okay, I suppose… I keep hearing the gunshot… I keep thinking that Moran is going to burst in and take me away…"

"I'm not going to let that happen," Sherlock said quietly. "You're safe as long as you're with me."

"Do you promise?" She asked hopefully.

"Yes." He said. "I'm going to catch the man who did this, but to do that I'm going to need to ask you some questions, okay?" Elise didn't reply, instead she nodded slowly. "Good. Now, how do know Moran?"

"He used to come around… every now and again," Elise explained. "He introduced himself to me one time, before mum sent me off to my room…" She added a shudder when she talked about Seb, just for emphasis.

"Do you know why he came around?"

"Mum always said it was about business…" she said. "But I don't know what sort of business; she didn't like to talk about work." She turned around, hearing John enter the room.

"Morning," he said, making his way to the kitchen. "How are you feeling?"

"Okay…" she said quietly.

"Any progress on Moran's whereabouts?" he asked Sherlock as he put the kettle on.

"Maybe," Sherlock said. "He was spotted down at the docks again." Elise was careful to keep her face blank but inside, she was worried; that wasn't part of the plan. "Ah, Hamish!" Sherlock said so suddenly that Elise jumped. She turned to see a boy in the doorway, dressed in a dressing gown. "I'd like you to meet Elise, our new client."

The boy was a few years older than her, with dark brown hair and a pale complexion, matching that of Sherlock's, but his expression was kinder and much more caring, like John. When he saw her, he turned a light shade of red, no doubt embarrassed at the fact that he was still in his pyjamas.

"You couldn't have given me some warning, dad?" He shouted as he rushed out of the room, returning minutes later, fully clothed. He offered his hand to her, "Sorry about that, my name's Hamish, pleasure to meet you."

When he stuck his hand out to her, she flinched a bit- just for show –but shook his hand nervously. "Elise," she whispered. She watched as Sherlock steered him into the kitchen with John, and listened as they filled Hamish with information about her, obviously not aware that she could still hear them. When they returned, Hamish grimaced at her.

"I'm sorry about your mother," he said, "but my parents are the best in the business- they'll be able to help you."

Just then, Sherlock's phone beeped.

"John," he called. "They've found the crime scene and a body- we've got to go."

"Excellent," Hamish said grabbing his coat.

"Woah, what do you think you're doing, young man?" John asked as he watched Sherlock run out the door.

"Coming with you guys," Hamish said, "duh…"

"No you're not." John said, turning Hamish around and steering him towards the couch.

"What?" Hamish cried. "Why not?"

"It's too dangerous."

"I've been on loads of cases with you," Hamish protested.

"None of them involved Moran," John said sternly. He glanced at Elise. "Besides, Elise's going to need someone to look after her and, as of this moment, that someone is you." John gave Elise a quick smile, before following Sherlock out the door. Hamish sighed.

"Would you like something to drink? We should have some juice in the fridge."

"That'd be great, actually," Elise said gratefully, licking her lips.

"So, you're Irene Adler's daughter, eh?" he asked, as he headed to the kitchen. "That must've been eventful…"

"What do you mean?" she asked with a frown.

"Well, with your mother's career choice and all…" he trailed off, noticing her blank look. "She didn't tell you what she did?"

"My mother rarely talked about business," she said with a sad smile. "We were always moving, never staying in the same place for too long- that's about the only excitement that ever happened. And even after a while, that became routine… But, living with Sherlock Holmes- that must never get dull."

"Yeah, true," he laughed. "And when it does get boring, Sherlock likes to shoot the wall, so… we usually try to keep him occupied." Elise laughed, genuinely, and Hamish grinned. "It's nice to see a proper smile on such a pretty face."

Elise blushed and looked away, excepting the glass of orange juice he handed her.

"What about your dad, then?" He asked. Elise started a little, not expecting the question, but managed to cover it up with a sip of her drink.

"I don't know who my dad is…" she said slowly. "I never met him. Mum said he died, just before I was born…"

"Oh," was all he said. "So it was just your mum and you?"

"Yeah…" she said, taking another drink. "But now she's gone…" She looked away, shrugging slightly. "I don't know where I'll go now."

"Don't you have any other family?" He asked her, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"No, it was just me and my mum."

"I'm sure we'll find somewhere for you to go," he said softly and she nodded, still staring at the ground.


	6. Chapter 6

**OH MY GOD. I am so sorry to my TWO followers- yes, that's right! I am very excited about that! Sorry, what was I saying? Oh yeah- I am soooooo sorry! See how many 'o's' I put in that 'so'? That's how sorry I am for this chapter taking forever! I was going to post it up weeks ago but my damn, stupid, bloody, dumb, silly internet would not connect! It literally took me half an hour to load the login page on this site! Anyway, this is chapter 6 and it's nice and long for you- with a bit of drama- oohhh! I'm still in the middle of chapter seven so I'll try and finish it this week :)**

* * *

**6**

They spent the next couple hours talking, Hamish's primary goal to cheer her up- it seemed he was good at that; he was awfully funny, Elise thought.

When Sherlock and John got back, Sherlock looked dismayed. Elise knew that her parents had set up a fake crime scene with a body that very much resembled her mother's but she didn't know how much evidence they had left, or what trails they may have laid. As soon as they walked in the door, Hamish jumped up.

"Did you find anything?" He asked. John shook his head.

"No, Moran left the site clean." John said. "But we'll find something."

It was three days later when they finally did find something.

Sherlock had been sitting in his chair, eyes closed while he was thinking, John was watching the news and Hamish had been playing a board game with Elise. Sherlock's phone beeped on the table next to him and he mumbled something about John getting that. John sighed and stood up, grabbing the phone and handing it to him. Elise found it strange that Sherlock didn't just grab it in the first place since it was right beside him, but no one else seemed to care; Hamish just made a remark about how he now owned Liverpool Station in their Monopoly game.

Sherlock read the text and jumped out of his chair. "Moran's been spotted!" He shouted, grabbing his scarf from beside the door. "He's been seen down by Kings Street- we have to go right now, John!" He rushed out the door without giving anyone a second look.

John gave Hamish and Elise a grim smile. "We'll be back soon, okay?" He said, before rushing out the door after his husband.

"Sorry about them," Hamish muttered to her, rolling the dice again. "They can get a bit… excited."

"It's okay," she said, dealing him some money as he passed 'GO'. "They're trying to help."

"Yeah, I know- yes! I won the beauty pageant!" He said suddenly, grinning at her.

"Well, I can't say that surprises me," she mumbled, going red a bit. He grinned at her.

"You think I'm pretty?" he laughed quietly, leaning over the board game.

"Maybe…" she smiled, leaning towards him too. They were close now, really close. _Is he going to kiss me_? she wondered incredulously. _I haven't even known him for a week, though!_

Suddenly, they were interrupted by the sharp sound of the doorbell, making both of them jump. Elise sat back, her face red, embarrassed.

"I'll get it," Hamish mumbled, looking away from her as he jumped up and headed downstairs.

Elise put her hand to her face, biting her lip. What had she been about to do? At first, she'd just been copying Hamish, not experienced enough to realise what was happening until it was too late, but still… she couldn't _kiss _him! Silently, she thanked whoever was at the door.

She heard Hamish climbing the stairs again but this time there was another pair of feet with him… Maybe John forgot his keys, she thought. Suddenly, Hamish stumbled into the living room, like he been pushed, a scared look on his face.

Elise's eyes turned to the door, and it took all her energy to put on a terrified face and not grin as she saw Sebastian standing in the doorway, pointing a gun at Hamish.

"Hello love," he growled at her. Slowly, she stood up, her hands shaking. Hamish moved to stand beside her.

"What… What do you want?" She asked, her voice trembling. She felt Hamish grab hold of her hand and watched in astonishment as he stepped in front of her. _Why would this boy_, she thought, _who's only known me for a total of four days, be willing to put himself in front of a gun for me? _

"Get away from her, Moran," Hamish sneered. Sebastian laughed coldly.

"Well isn't this just the sweetest thing? Look at you, protecting your little lady friend here- it's just adorable. I'd be careful if I were you though, she's her mother's daughter…" he taunted, flashing a wolfish grin.

"What are you doing here?" Hamish asked, ignoring his statement.

"Well, I _was _here to pay a visit to your father; he's been causing me an awful lot of trouble lately. But now, it seems I've found my dear missing Elise, isn't that wonderful? I've been looking all over for you dear," he muttered softly. Elise said nothing.

"Leave her alone," Hamish said, pushing Elise further behind him.

"No, I don't think I will," Seb snarled. "I think she's gonna come with me now and, seeing as you're here too, you can join us."

"We're not going anywhere."

"I beg to differ."

* * *

When Elise woke up, she didn't recognise where she was and panicked, trying to stand up but realising that her right hand was handcuffed to a pole.

"Shh," A voice hissed. "Elise it's okay..." She turned, seeing Hamish in a similar predicament, and instantly grasped what was happening. Thinking quickly, she put on a terrified expression.

"Hamish?" She whispered, her voice trembling- she wanted to make the other boy think she was going to break down.

"I'm here," he said, pulling her into a hug. "Don't be scared, my dads will find us."

"I don't want Moran to get me," she said, tears shining in her eyes. "He's going to kill us..."

"No, that's not going to happen, Elise." Hamish said. "I promise."

"Now, now, boy, you shouldn't go making silly promises like that," growled a rough voice from the corner. Elise whimpered as Sebastian emerged from the shadows, and she pushed herself closer to Hamish.

Hamish glared at him as he tried to put himself between Seb and Elise. "So you _are _Moran," Hamish said calmly. "I recognise you from your file. Ex-colonel, dishonourably discharged from the British Army, gun for hire- Moriarty's right hand man. What have you been up to, now that your boss is dead?"

"Hamish," a voice sung out from the dark. "Whoever said I was dead?" From the same corner as Sebastian, Moriarty stepped out, his gaze fixed on Hamish. "Your father has made a terrible mistake, dear Hamish." He said. "He underestimated me- he assumed he'd won. But I can't allow that to happen, can I?"

"No," Hamish muttered, eyes wide. "No, that's not possible- you shot yourself, you're dead."

"Yes and your father jumped from a rooftop- yet here we are, so many years later, both very much alive."

"What do you want from us?"

"I'm not quite sure yet… I think I'll play a game with your father- they're always so entertaining, especially now that you're in the picture. Oh and I know Sebby here wants to have some fun with darling Elise before he kills her- and he _will_ kill her." Elise let go a soft whimper, and made the tears well up in her eyes. Jim said, "She's seen too much, it's nothing personal."

Jim threw a pair of keys to Sebastian so he could unlock her handcuffs then turned to leave. Elise squealed as Seb grabbed a handful of her hair and yanked her forward, dragging her out the door. As soon as they were around the corner however, he let her go, and she launched herself into his arms. She then turned to Jim, who wrapped his arms around her tighter than he ever had before.

"I missed you, Elise," he whispered to her softly.

"I missed you too," she said. "You have no idea how hard it's been to keep up the pretext of hating the both of you."

"I know, darling, I know," Jim purred. "But you've done wonderfully, and you've only got a little more to go. Now," he said, letting her go, "what have you got to report?"

She told them everything that had happened in the past few days, including all her observations. When she was finished, she added, "Seb, you've got to be more careful around the docks. One of Sherlock's spies saw you the other day, hanging around there."

He frowned, "I don't see how that's possible, but still, thanks," he said, messing up her hair playfully. "I'll be on the look-out next time."

"Do you think they suspect anything?" Jim asked his daughter.

"John and Hamish, definitely not." She said firmly.

"And Sherlock...?"

"I...I'm not sure," she admitted. "I've been having trouble reading him; he's very hard to understand. Sorry."

"That's okay sweetheart," Jim said. "We'll just have to see, won't we? But now, we have to get you back in there, okay?"

Elise hesitated slightly. "Dad..." she said slowly. He looked at her, an eyebrow raised. "You're going to have to hurt me..."

"What?" He asked with a frown.

"Well, I can't go back looking untouched, that'll raise suspicions."

"Elise, I'm not going to hurt you,' Jim said, his frown deepening.

"Then get someone else to do it," she insisted. "They don't have to hurt me bad, maybe just a few bruises."

"I don't want anyone _else_ to hurt you either," Jim snapped.

"I'll be fine, dad- it's all part of the game, remember?"

Jim glanced at Sebastian and could see his jaw clenching and unclenching, his eyes cold and fierce. Jim knew that if he allowed this, Seb would kill whoever had hurt her in the slowest and most painful way he could think of. Jim was sure he'd enjoy that.

"Let me do this," she said. "It'll make the game more fun."

"Elise," Seb said softly, turning her to face him, "we don't want you to do this."

"_I_ don't want to do this," she said. "But I _need_ to. Please dad, let me do this." She didn't normally call Seb 'dad'. It wasn't because she didn't feel for him the way she felt for Jim, it was just because he had always been and always would be 'Seb' to her. So when she called him 'dad', he knew she was being serious.

"Fine," he muttered after a long pause, giving her a kiss on the forehead. She turned back to Jim, giving him a questioning look. Jim glanced at Sebastian quickly, before sighing.

"Alright… if that's what you really want." He mumbled. She gave him a long hug.

"It will make this work," she said softly.

* * *

An hour later, Sebastian pushed Elise roughly into the dark room with Hamish, who caught her as she stumbled.

"Elise," he mumbled softly as he took in her injuries: split lip, bruised left eye and a massive gash above her right eye. "What happened?" He reached out to touch the gash and she pushed herself away from him.

"Don't," she hissed. "Just stay away from me."

"It's okay," he whispered, holding his hands up. "I'm not going to hurt you. It's just me- I just want to take a look."

"No…" she whimpered, pushing herself against the wall.

"Please, Elise, just let me see; I only want to help you…"

"I'm okay," she murmured, looking away from him.

"Elise, it's just me…" he said softly, creeping closer. She didn't look at him; she kept her eyes on the ground. She felt him pull her gently into a hug. "What did they do to you?" he asked, keeping her in the hug.

"Nothing," she mumbled, feeling a tear slide down her cheek. "I… I'm fine."

"No, you're not."

"I just want to go home…"

"I know, I know. Sherlock will find us soon- I know he will."

"How?"

"I don't know…" he admitted. "But he's Sherlock Holmes- he'll do it somehow."

* * *

***gasp!* It's a sort-of-but-not-really-cliff-hanger! Woah there were a lot of hyphens in that sentence ;) Alright anyway, it's like 2am here, so there might've been a few mistakes… or more than a few… so I do apologise- hope you'll forgive me XD  
LoopyLou, out! XD**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys, so I've finally finished this chapter- yay! It's a bit shorter than the others, but I swear it seemed like a billion pages when I typed it on my phone! I'm very excited to now have _6 _followers! XD XD  
To onelifeonedirection, thankyou for my first review, you're very kind XD I am also interested to see where this is going... No just joking, I do have an idea of what I'm doing but I'm just stuck deciding what will happen right at the end... I tend to write sad endings, so be scared!  
You may have noticed that the summary at the top changed- I'd like to thank my good friend TimTom for that, she's brilliant, you should check out her stories!  
ANYWAY, enjoy this next chapter :)**

* * *

**7**

Sebastian pushed Elise and Hamish into the car and slammed the door behind them. Jim sat on the seat in front of them and smiled when the door was closed.

"What do you kids say about a little trip?" He asked. Hamish took Elise's hand and squeezed it gently- Jim noticed straight away. "Well, would you look at that; so sweet! You really shouldn't get attached though, Hamish. It's going to make it so much harder for you when Seb kills her."

"You're not going to touch her again," Hamish hissed.

"Are you going to stop us, dearie?" Jim drawled. "I'm sure Seb still wants to have some fun with her…" Elise looked blankly at the ground, feeling Hamish's eyes on her.

"What did you do to her?"

"_I _didn't do anything to her." Jim said with a wink. "The boys on the other hand… well, you can use your imagination." Hamish lurched towards him.

"Don't!" Elise yelled pulling him back. "He's not worth it."

Jim pouted. "Why such cruel words, Elise?" She saw Hamish's jaw clench and she squeezed his hand gently.

"Where are you taking us?" She asked, her words just above a whisper.

"Somewhere, decidedly unpleasant…" was all he said. He pulled out two black hoods. "I'm going to need you to put these on," he said, handing one to each of them.

"Why?"

"Because, dear, we wouldn't want you running off, would we?

"I don't want to put it on," she whispered.

"You don't have a choice," Jim said, his eyes cold. "Now, do it."

"On your knees," Seb hissed. "Now."

Beside her, she heard Hamish grunt as he was pushed to the floor and she knelt down slowly. With the bag over her head, she couldn't see a thing and she couldn't tell for sure where they were. She could smell the river, though, and Sebastian's voice had echoed, so she guessed it was one of Jim's warehouses at the docks.

She heard the click of the gun as it was cocked and for a moment, she felt an unexplainable fear. Calm down, she told herself, dad's not going to shoot you. Even so, she could not push down the fear that was making it so hard to breathe

She wondered why a part of her mind was cringing, waiting for the shot to ring out. She trusted her parents, why was she so scared?

She didn't know what was going to happen now; her dad hadn't told her. Maybe the next part of the plan was for Sherlock to rescue them, though she didn't see how that was going to happen. Then again, she wasn't as smart as Jim, who would have it all figured out. She knew he would be four steps ahead of Sherlock, maybe even- BANG.

She felt a heavy blow to the back of her head, pushing her forwards. The next thing she knew, there was shouting and someone calling her, pulling the bag off her head.

Then there was nothing.

"Elise..." a voice spoke. She knew it, but she couldn't place it. "Elise wake up... come on, I need you to wake up."

Her eyes fluttered open, seeing John standing over her, flashing a bright light in her eyes. She tried to sit up, but felt a flashing pain in her head and fell back down.

"Just relax," another voice- Hamish this time -said softly. "You're okay now."

"Where... what happened?" she mumbled, blinking her eyes and trying to focus.

"Homeless network," she heard Sherlock say, and as her vision began to clear she saw him sitting on the armchair across from the couch that she lay on. "It really is indispensable."

She looked around, realising that she was back in 221B. Hamish sat on the floor beside her and John stood above them both, putting his medical light back into a first-aid kit.

Slowly, she tried to sit up again, succeeding this time with Hamish's help. It took her a moment before all the memories came flooding back to her. She remembered being with her parents, insisting that they hurt her as to not arouse suspicion- well that explains why I'm in so much pain, she thought wryly. She remembered Jim taking them to the warehouse and the gun being put to her head. After that, everything was black.

"What happened?" she asked again.

"One of the men in dad's homeless network saw Moriarty and Moran taking us into the warehouse and called him," Hamish explained. They came just in time to stop Moran from shooting us."

Elise looked to Sherlock and then to john, her eyes teary for good measure. "Thank you," she said softly.

"You're quite welcome," John smiled warmly, taking the first-aid kit into the kitchen.

"What about Moriarty and Moran?" she asked, turning to Sherlock. "Did you get them?"

He shook his head sadly, "No, I'm afraid they escaped." He hesitated a moment before he went on, "I'm sorry that they got to you, Elise- that should never have happened. But you're safe now, I promise."

"That's what you said last time," she mumbled, her voice choked with emotion. "You promised and they took me anyway… and they got Hamish too…"

"Elise," Hamish said softly. "It's not his fault." He reached out to put his hand on her knee and she flinched, as if subconsciously, making him pull away again.

"I know it's not," she murmured, eyes stinging with tears.

"No, it _is _my fault," Sherlock insisted, and her eyes widened in surprise for a millisecond before she schooled her emotions again; this man was so different to his file… "I underestimated Moran, and I had no idea that Moriarty was alive- and that face almost cost both of you your lives. But this time, they really won't get to you. I've got both my brother Mycroft's men, and my own watching this place at all times. You're safe now- I swear it."

She smiled gratefully at him. "Thank you," she said again.

"Alright, enough's enough," John called from the kitchen, walking over to them. "You two need rest," he said to Elise and Hamish.

"Dad, I'm fine," Hamish protest and Elise nodded her agreement.

"I don't care- you're both lucky that you didn't need to go to the hospital, and your injuries were minor enough that I could treat them her. But without rest, they could worsen and then you _will _have to go to the hospital. So, bed, _now_."

Hamish sighed and stood up, offering a hand to Elise. She took it gratefully, and grimaced as she stood; clenching her jaw against the real pain she was feeling.

She had to get John to help her to her room, as Hamish had her own injuries to deal with. John told her that the worst of her wounds were a few bruised ribs, and that she was lucky none were broken. "They'll up in a couple of weeks or so," he told her as he helped her into bed. "Just give us a shout if you need anything," he said before closing the door.

She sighed, grateful for the moment to herself. She stretched out carefully, cringing from the pain. She realised that, underneath the lose top that she wore- which she suspected to be one of John's- someone had bandaged around her ribs, as well as her right shoulder.

For a moment, she found herself blushing, and hoped that, out of all of them, it had been John who had bandaged her- he was a doctor after all, it was his job… It wasn't that she was worried that the bandaging might not have been done right it was more that face that she had undoubtedly been… naked, in order to properly wrap them.

Her cheeks burned and she thought about how angry Seb, even more so than Jim, would be when he heard about this… which led her to wonder how her parents were.

Sherlock had said that they had gotten away, but what was supposed to happen now? She wished her dad had told her the next part of the plan, but he had insisted that the less she knew the better.

She sighed again, gently rolling over and closing her eyes. Guess she'd have to find out the hard way.

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**Well, that's the end of my pre-written chapters, now I actually have to seriously start working on the next ones. I will _try _to update once a week but, knowing me, I can't make any promises :)  
Reviewes are greatly appreciated/needed/craved XD  
Ciao for now :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey, so this is my upload for the week... I think... I know it's short, sorry about that, but I'm really struggling to get from point A to point B at the moment...**

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**8**

Two weeks came and went agonisingly slowly for Elise, with no news from her parent's; secretly, she'd begun to think something was wrong. John kept insisting that Moriarty must've gotten bored with her, and that she should relax; Sherlock didn't seem to agree with him.

In a few days, Hamish would have to go back to school. Sherlock and John had many arguments over the past week about what they were going to do with Elise. John had to work, Sherlock was always out on cases, and they couldn't leave her alone in the flat.

Finally, two days before school restarted, Sherlock and John sat Elise down in the lounge room.

"Elise," John began slowly, "Sherlock and I have been considering what our next move will be, considering you. As you know, we can hardly leave you here alone, and it's much too dangerous to accompany Sherlock on his cases, so, we were thinking…" he trailed off, biting his lip and she looked at him curiously.

"We're sending you to school with Hamish," Sherlock snapped suddenly, finishing John's sentence. John's jaw clenched slightly, and he leaned back in his chair, waiting for her reaction.

"…School?" Elise said after a long moment, genuinely confused.

"Yes." Sherlock said simply.

"I… I've never been to school…" Elise said, struggling to keep her face confused. She honestly did not know how to react to this bit of information; maybe shock, or anxiety?

"We know," John said softly. "But we think it's the best option for you at the moment… At least until we can figure out what to… do with you."

Elise knew he was talking about whether or not she'd go into foster care, or maybe social services. She nodded slowly, trying not to let Sherlock see how hard she was clenching her fists in her lap. She looked at him; his eyes were trained intently on her.

"Can you… can you do that? I mean, don't you have to be a legal guardian to enrol me at school or something?" She asked.

"Technically, yes," Sherlock waved a hand. "But it helps when your brother basically _is _the British Government."

"Hamish will be there to help you," John said, as if sensing her anxiety. "You don't need to worry."

"What if Moriarty tries to get me again?" She asked; already she could see several flaws in this plan of theirs, and she couldn't help but point the most pressing one out.

"We'll have security watching you," Sherlock said reassuringly.

"Besides, we both believe that he's done with you now," John said with a smile, sending a pointed glance to his husband. "Don't we, Sherlock?"

Sherlock was silent for a moment before he forced out a muttered, "Yes."

"See?" John said, putting a hand on her knee. "Everything will be fine, you'll see."

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**So, what did you think? I may regret this chapter later but, oh well, it's too late to go back now :)  
If you want, leave me a review or tell me what you'd like to see happen at school (maybe something fluffy or funny?) or where you think this story is heading :D  
Anyway, ciao for now XD**


	9. Author's note

**Hey, so I'm sorry I've taken so long to update- I've just started year 10 and I've been smashed with it! I'm kinda having trouble getting back into the swing of things at school, and my parents want me to try and focus on my studies after… a couple problems I had last year. ANYWAY, I'm gonna try and take a break from my fanfics just for a little while, please bear with me and don't get too frustrated- I will update when I get the chance, but my main focus has to be school, at least for a little while.**

**Ciao for now,  
LoopLouXD**


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